Becoming an empowered challenger brand requires...a brand. Yeah, sounds obvious. But you’d be shocked how many people come to us for marketing thinking they already have a brand. Learn more about how Brand Positioning can help you find your north star…

The fastest growing brands are the ones migrating culture, changing the vernacular and turning predictability inside out. They’re not leading their respective category in the revenue column (yet) but they are, hands down, the ones…

Unless you’re a category leader, your brand is likely in a struggle for attention in a crowded consumer marketplace. Fortunately, your business’s challenger nature may be the very thing that sets it apart from the pack…

Brett McDowell of Centennial BANK on how going through a rebrand can change internal culture.

Like a weighted elbow to a stubborn muscle knot, Challengers know where to focus their energy to achieve maximum results. Whether it’s a before-purchase social post, a point-of-sale poster or a memorable thank you email, knowing how to get (and stay) in touch with your customers is the key to building brand loyalty that lasts.

We sat down with Michael Portman of Birds Barbershop to talk about how the experience of a haircut could transform his business model and disrupt the industry.

What does your company exist to do? No, not the product you sell. What does your company stand for? If you can’t answer that question definitively, it’s time to think about your purpose.

When Cary Prewitt set out to create the first "poundable" craft lager, he knew he'd be disrupting an industry. Find out what he's learned along the way. 

Nobody wants to be told that they are drinking their own Kool-Aid. But more often than not, that’s the case. Every brand, challenger or giant, needs to define what they do and why they do it. Brand positioning does just that.

Another installment in the Empowered Challenger interview series featuring Mark Seiler, founder and owner of Maine Root Sodas, talking about keeping up the momentum after starting his business.

Another installment in the Empowered Challenger interview series featuring Tom Kartsotis, founder of Shinola Detroit, talking about the importance of authenticity.

Unless you’re fat, happy and alone at the top of your category, you’re likely battling giants of some kind. You’re a challenger. You’re forced to turn constraints into opportunities by outthinking the competition. 

Another installment in the Empowered Challenger interview series featuring Katie Forrest and Taylor Collins, Founders/Owners of EPIC Provisions, talking about going with their gut.

Another installment in the Empowered Challenger interview series featuring Shauna R. Martin, Founder and CEO of Daily Greens on fueling her brand's growth.

The art of rejecting the masses in order to attract your most ardent fans. We all have friends that aren’t a good fit in our lives. Guess what? Your brand faces the same problem. 

From infrastructural changes to car sharing to straddling buses, challenger brands are taking a stand against transportation methods that have remained largely unchanged since Henry Ford came rattling out of his garage. 

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little bit of extra.” When you make a powerful operational change that becomes part of your DNA, it can be the drive your team needs to try harder than their competition. 

How do empowered challengers make their brand ethos inherently sharable? Simple. By tapping into what customers of challenger brands care about most. Here are four truths challenger brands never forget when building tribes.

We’ve been thinking a lot about briefs lately. No, not the cotton variety with the stretchy waistband. There’s a misguided belief that an open-ended brief will liberate creative minds and lead to blue sky thinking.  

Crystal balls rarely work in marketing. None of us can truly forecast what’s going to happen 10 days from now. But there are eight percolating trends that are worth noting. And all indications are that they’re here to stay.